Internal conductor male tubular member

ABSTRACT

A slit internal conductor male tubular member for HF coaxial plug connections between two internal conductor tubes, comprises an end section, which can be inserted into the internal conductor tube with a radial compression and oblique setting of resilient tabs, in such a manner that it is in contact with the internal conductor tube along a rear cylinder annular surface, and an intermediate section which has a progressively increasing diameter along a length thereof providing a change in diameter equal to the wall thickness of the inner conductor tube. The outer surface of this latter section merges with the surface of the internal conductor tube in the plugged-in condition. The end section is turned cylindrically with a diameter which corresponds to the internal diameter of the internal conductor tube increased by an amount adapted to bring about a radial inward compression of the tabs generating a radial contact spring pressure against the inner surface of the internal conductor tube.

United States Patent [191 Spinner Jan. 14, 1975 1 INTERNAL CONDUCTOR MALE TUBULAR MEMBER 22 Filed: Mar. 19, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 342,383

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 24, 1972 Germany 7211401 [52] US. Cl. 285/334.4 [51] Int. Cl F161 25/00 [58] Field of Search 285/334.4, 397, 398, 370, 285/371, 322,138,133 R; 333/98 R Primary Examiner-Alfred R. Guest Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Mason, Fenwick & Lawrence [57 ABSTRACT A slit internal conductor male tubular member for HF coaxial plug connections between two internal conductor tubes, comprises an end section, which can be inserted into the internal conductor tube with a radial compression and oblique setting of resilient tabs, in such a manner that it is in contact with the internal conductor tube along a rear cylinder annular surface, and an intermediate section which has a progressively increasing diameter along a length thereof providing a change in diameter equal to the wall thickness of the inner conductor tube. The outer surface of this latter section merges with the surface of the internal conductor tube in the plugged-in condition. The end section is turned cylindrically with a diameter which corresponds to the internal diameter of the internal conductor tube increased by an amount adapted to bring about a radial inward compression of the tabs generating a radial contact spring pressure against the inner surface of the internal conductor tube.

3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures INTERNAL CONDUCTOR MALE TUBULAR MEMBER BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1. Field to which Invention Relates The present invention relates to an internal conductor male tubular member, and more particularly to such a tubular member which is slit and is adapted for use for HF coaxial plug connections. In particular the invention relates to such male tubular members comprising an end section, which can be inserted into the internal conductor tube with a radial compression and oblique setting of the resilient tabs, in such a manner that it is in contact with the internal conductor tube along a rear cylinder annular surface, and an intermediate section which has a diameter which is widened along a length corresponding to the wall thickness of the inner conductor tube and the outer surface of this latter section merges with the surface of the internal conductor tube in the plugged-in condition.

2. The Prior Art Such internal conductor male tubular members are required on a large scale for coaxial flange plug connections for in the case of which a coupling element, connecting the internal conductors typically have two such internal conductor male tubular members for the two outgoing conductors or lines and a centrally arranged insulating support means. In the case of such plug connections or flange connections, and also in the case of all other coaxial axial fittings, in the case of which an internal conductor male tubular connection is to be provided, it is necessary for electrical reasons to provide for a radial cylindrical contact annular surface and furthermore the front end annular surface of the inner conductor tube must lie precisely and without the formation of a gap on the step between the front section and the rear section. These conditions cannot be sufficiently satisfactorily ensured in the case of prior art internal conductor male tubular members, in the case of which the end section was turned down to the dimension of the internal diameter of the internal concluctor tube and the external diameter of the adjoining section was turned down to the external diameter of the internal conductor tube. In particular no defined cylindrical contact annular surface was produced. An improvement in this respect was brought about in the case of another previously proposed plug connecting means by adopting the feature of turning the front section of the internal conductor male tubular member so as to taper forwards in end of the slit or slits, the end section corresponding at the end adjacent to the abovementioned step to the internal diameter of the inner conductor tube. After the making of the slit or slits the resilient tabs or segments were broadened out to such a degree that after bending up the resilient tabs formed part of a cylindrical casing, whose diameter was somewhat greater than the internal diameter of the inner conductor tube. Owing to the bending up or bending out the adjoining section had by this time assumed a form which tapered from the above-mentioned step towards the rear. On plugging together the two sections were deformed back so as to correspond to their original shape so that there was an annular contact adjacent to the above-mentioned step and there was a smooth transition or merging without an annular gap at the point of adjustment of the above-mentioned step,

which, however, was not precisely defined and could not be satisfactorily reproduced.

Difficulties arose in the case of the prior art internal conductor male tubular member also in the manufacturing process, because the bending out operation for producing the necessary contact pressure had to be carried out very precisely and was tricky.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION One aim of the present invention is that of improving the ring contact construction aimed at and also to simplify the production by avoiding spreading out.

In order to achieve these and other aims the invention provides for turning the end section cylindrically with a diameter which corresponds to the internal diameter of the internal conductor tube increased by an amount adapted to bring about the contact biasing stress and in that the intermediate section of the step is turned so as to taper conically to the rear or longitudinal center of the connector.

In this manner after the slit formation a shape is produced which corresponds to the above-mentioned spread out or broadened out form of the previously proposed internal conductor male tubular member in its ideal condition, which in accordance with the prior art was not to be attained. Owing to the novel geometrical shape of the tubular member or bush the manufacturing process is, however, very much simplified. The invention achieves with reliability that each resilient tab reliably makes contact at two points. A further advantage vis-a-vis the prior art arrangement is that there is a more favorable spring or resilient action than in the case of the prior art construction, because deformation or extension beyond the limit of elasticity are not required before plugging together.

LIST OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF DRAWINGS an internal conductor intermediate piece.

FIG. 2 shows the internal conductor male tubular member in accordance with FIG. I plugged into an internal conductor tube.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The drawing shows an internal conductor intermediate piece, which comprises a central insulating support piece 10 and two internal conductor male tubular members, of which only the right-hand one is shown in the drawing. It is denoted by the general reference numeral 12. This slit male tubular member comprises an end section 14 and an intermediate section 18 having the step 16 and having the radial breadth of the inner conductor wall thickness a. The two sections are turned or machined before production of slits so as to have the three-dimensional shape indicated in FIG. 1. The intermediate section 18 is conically or conically-convexly turned and can have a part spherical form or can be so curved that after the plugging together a precise cylindrical shape results. The end section 14 is turned cylindrically to a diameter D which is the same as the inter nal diameter D of the internal conductor tube 20 (FIG. 2), increased by an amount 2e, which brings the contact stressing or biasing. The amount e is indicated in the enlarged part of FIG. 1 shown separately. It is the amount by which the external step radius exceeds the outer radius of the non-slitted internal conductor section 22 (the external diameter D, of this section 22 corresponds to the outer diameter D, of the internal conductor tube), that is to say the tabs on being introduced into the internal conductor tube are pressed outwardly by the amount e in a radial direction so that the conically turned section 18, as indicated in FIG. 2, is stressed into a cylindrical shape and the end section 14 is set so as to be oblique.

In the transition between the intermediate section 18 which initially is conical, and the cylindrical section 22 of the internal conductor lies at the base or root of the slit.

1 claim:

1. A slitted internal conductor male tubular member for HF coaxial plug connections between two internal conductor tubes of predetermined outer diameter and inner diameter, comprising a central annular support collar, a pair of tubular sleeve portions of the same construction extending oppositely along a common center axis from the support collar; each sleeve portion including an end section to be inserted into the adjacent internal conductor tube, a cylindrical tubular center section extending toward the associated end section from said support collar and an intermediate section between and integrally joining the center and end sections; said intermediate and end sections having continuous slits extending through the intermediate section and continuing through the end section and the free end thereof defining elongated resilient tabs between the slits to be radially flexed inwardly toward the common axis and assume a generally inwardly converging path converging toward said free end upon insertion of the end section into the adjacent internal conductor tube in such manner as to dispose the end section in contact with the internal conductor tube along a substantially cylindrical path, each sleeve portion having an annular transition shoulder defining a step at the juncture of said end and intermediate sections and the intermediate section having a conically tapered outer surface progressing from a smaller diameter adjacent said center section to a larger diameter at said transition shoulder exceeding the smaller diameter by about the wall thickness of the internal conductor tube, the end section being cylindrically formed along its major length with a diameter slightly greater than the internal diameter of the internal conductor tube by a predetermined amount to cause inward flexing of the tabs in said end section to a sufficient extent to stress said intermediate section into a cylindrical shape conforming the external surface thereof to the diameter of the external surface of the internal conductor tube.

2. A slitted internal conductor male tubular member as defined in claim 1, wherein the slits originate at locations substantially at the juncture between said intermediate section and said center section.

3. A slitted internal conductor male tubular member as defined in claim 1, wherein the exterior surface of said intermediate section is shaped in a curved geometrical path which after insertion of said end sections into the associated internal conductor tube yields a precisely cylindrical shape at the exterior surface of said intermediate section. 

1. A slitted internal conductor male tubular member for HF coaxial plug connections between two internal conductor tubes of predetermined outer diameter and inner diameter, comprising a central annular support collar, a pair of tubular sleeve portions of the same construction extending oppositely along a common center axis from the support collar; each sleeve portion including an end section to be inserted into the adjacent internal conductor tube, a cylindrical tubular center section extending toward the associated end section from said support collar and an intermediate section between and integrally joining the center and end sections; said intermediate and end sections having continuous slits extending through the intermediate section and continuing through the end section and the free end thereof defining elongated resilient tabs between the slits to be radially flexed inwardly toward the common axis and assume a generally inwardly converging path converging toward said free end upon insertion of the end section into the adjacent internal conductor tube in such manner as to dispose the end section in contact with the internal conductor tube along a substantially cylindrical path, each sleeve portion having an annular transition shoulder defining a step at the juncture of said end and intermediate sections and the intermediate section having a conically tapered outer surface progressing from a smaller diameter adjacent said center section to a larger diameter at said transition shoulder exceeding the smaller diameter by about the wall thickness of the internal conductor tube, the end section being cylindrically formed along its major length with a diameter slightly greater than the internal diameter of the internal conductor tube by a predetermined amount to cause inward flexing of the tabs in said end section to a sufficient extent to stress said intermediate section into a cylindrical shape conforming the external surface thereof to the diameter of the external surface of the internal conductor tube.
 2. A slitted internal conductor male tubular member as defined in claim 1, wherein the slits originate at locations substantially at the juncture between said intermediate section and said center section.
 3. A slitted internal conductor male tubular member as defined in claim 1, wherein the exterior surface of said intermediate section is shaped in a curved geometrical path which after insertion of said end sections into the associated internal conductor tube yields a precisely cylindrical shape at the exterior surface of said intermediate section. 